Hot July 2012

July 2012 was the second warmest July on record in the Twin Cities.

The Twin Cities finished with the second warmest July on record with an average temperature of 80.2 degrees, 6.4 degrees above normal. 2012 falls short of the record warmest July of 81.4 degrees from July 1936. Also notable is that July 2012 is the second warmest month ever in the Twin Cities for the period 1873 to 2012.

July 2012 was very consistently warm. The high temperature in the Twin Cities reached 80 degrees or higher on all 31 days. This has never happened before in the historical record. July 1916 and 1936 came close with 30 days each.

July 2012 just missed having an average monthly high temperature of 90 degrees in the Twin Cities. The average maximum temperature was 89.9 degrees for the month. There has been an average maximum monthly temperature over 90 two times: 92.5 degrees in 1936 and 90.2 degrees in 1988.

Not only has it been a hot July in the Twin Cities, but around the state as well. Duluth tied its warmest July on record with an average temperature of 71.9 degrees, equaling the 71.9 degrees that was set in 2006. It should be noted that for Duluth, the measurements were made closer to Lake Superior in the really hot July of 1936.

La Crosse Wisconsin had its warmest July on record with an estimated average temperature of 79.6 degrees, breaking the old record of 79.5 degrees set in 1936.

Sioux Falls wound up with its second warmest July on record with an average monthly temperature of 81.3 degrees, with 1936 still holding on to the record with 84.5 degrees.

One of the coolest locations in July for the Minnesota was International Falls. The average July temperature there is 69.0 degrees, only 3.8 degrees above normal and didn't finish in the top ten warmest Julys there.